2009 is a tough year to judge. I’ve checked out more albums this year than any year in the past. Well over 1,000. And there have been quite a few great ones as well. When this list began, it had 110 albums. I abandoned my top 33 and 1/3 for 45, and then said “screw it” and upped the number to an even 50. These are the top notch albums of the year, all worthy of praise.

There are a lot of swirling sounds within Bombadil’s Tarpits And Canyonlands. On one end it is minimalistic — stripped to its most basic components, “Sad Birthday” is piano and percussion with a slew of vocalists. But it’s not minimal, as even two instruments can create a sound all-encompassing. Add the collective of vocalists and precisely placed hand claps and the result is a sound much like that of Slaraffenland. But Bombadil cannot be limited to mere comparisons — the light instrumentation and experimental folk sounds …